Free-agent second baseman Daniel Murphy — the ex-New York Met who went from postseason super hero to World Series goat in a matter of games — is staying in the NL East, having reportedly agreed to join the Washington Nationals on a three-year deal.

We don’t know the money involved yet, but we know the contract is pending a physical. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jim Bowden and confirmed by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

The Nats had been in the market for a second baseman and we were in serious discussions with the Reds to trade for Brandon Phillips, but Phillips wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause. So the Nats jumped into the free-agent pool and paid up for Murphy, who ranked No. 23 on Jeff Passan’s Free-Agent Tracker.

These days, people will remember Murphy from his dynamo role in the Mets’ World Series run. He homered in six straight postseason games between the NLDS and NLCS, which was a record, and won the NLCS MVP. But in the World Series, he wasn’t nearly as clutch. In fact, his crucial Game 4 errorhelped propel the Kansas City Royals to victory.

None of that will matter to the Nats, who are more interested in having a consistent bat at second base and adding another lefty to their lineup. Murphy’s not the greatest defensive second baseman in the land, but he’s a career .288 hitter who knocked 14 homers and drove in 73 runs a year ago. Once the contract with Murphy is official, the Nats will give up a first-round draft pick (No. 18 overall) to the Mets since Murphy rejected the team’s qualifying offer.